I write this letter to Christians in the church who believe in the Kingdom of God as described in the Bible. The message relates to the various concerns the church faces today that have resulted in Christians being more self-absorbed rather than evangelistic in nature. These issues include racism that has led to the Black Lives Matter movement, abuse of women, immigration, and healthcare.
Black Lives Matter
Racial prejudice in various parts of the world has led to the formation of civil rights movements such as the Black Lives Matter to fight against racism and violence towards the African American community. It is unfortunate and regrettable that racial slurs are also prevalent among Christians who ought to be the light of the world. In commercial places, there are rules that are only enforced when the rule pertains to a black person. For example, someone who buys a trailer is expected to move it from the park immediately after the purchase. However, this rule is often forgotten when the buyer of white descent. When crimes are carried out, more often than not police officers target members from the African American community (Weitzer " Tuch, 2002, p. 440). Additionally, more police shootings are reported to occur among the black people than any other community. Racism goes against the Bible which commands that one should love their neighbor as they love themselves. As Christians, we should accept all people regardless of their skin color and love them unconditionally as Jesus Christ loved the church.
Abuse of Women
Cases of sexual and physical abuse among women have been on the rise in church and the society at large. The doctrine that a wife should submit to her husband has been misinterpreted to mean that she should put up with sexual and physical abuse from the spouse. According to Plante (2014), most women have remained in abusive marriages largely because their pastors and fellow Christians strongly advised them to forgive and pray for their husbands. The church, therefore, has ended up being a part of the problem instead of a solution by ill-advising its congregants. Clergymen have also used their position and power to abuse women in their congregation. Historically, clergymen have been accorded a lot of trust and respect which makes most congregants especially women turn to them for counsel. This level of confidence gives them more power than those they counsel and this makes them liable for any sexual misconduct whether consensual or not. Some of the ways some clergymen abuse women include: sexually touching them without consent, use of sexual language or invading personal space on purpose. Fellow clergymen, victims, and congregants have a responsibility to report such cases to relevant authorities.
Immigration
According to Rodriguez " Sider (2013), the church faces an ethical dilemma in handling the issue of illegal immigrants in the society. According to 1st Peter 2:13-14, followers of Christ are expected to abide by the laws of the land, and therefore in obedience, the church is obliged to report any undocumented immigrant to the authorities (Testament, 1976). In so doing the church risks the well-being of the immigrant when he or she gets deported back to their country. This is quite a challenge as the bible makes it clear that Christians should meet the spiritual and material needs of immigrants in Exodus 22:21 (Testament, 1976). As Christians, we should let Jesus teachings guide our conscience when dealing with such dilemma. For instance, in the Testament (1976), Jesus gives the parable of a rich man who is sent to hell for failure to help a needy person at his door (Luke 16:19-31). He further emphasizes in Luke 10:29-37 on loving our neighbors even when they are our enemies. Therefore instead of being quick to report immigrants to authorities for deportation, we should be quicker to champion for immigration reforms that speed up the documentation process. Christians should also set up refugee resettlement agencies and most importantly share the gospel of Christ to them.
Health Care
Jesus tasked the church with the role of healing the sick and caring for them through visits. However, our modern church has neglected this role with the separation of religion and science. Provision of medical care has been left in the hands of the government which embraces individualism. This has led to inequality in providing healthcare where the rich are given better medical care than the poor. The church needs to take back their role and provide health care to all excluding none as this is the gospel of Christ. In practice, the church should set up Christian hospitals that provide quality and affordable health care. The church should also work to eradicate infant mortality in developing countries while fighting widespread of diseases such as Malaria.
Conclusion
The church should always follow the Biblical doctrines in addressing ethical issues regardless of the times it finds itself in. Also, the church should neither water down scripture in an attempt to fit in the society nor pick which Bible verses to preach and which ones to leave out. Doing so violates the Word of God which advises Christians to be the salt and light to the world to effect change. Christians should, therefore, be fearless in campaigning for rights of the poor, the sick, immigrants and women often regarded as second-class citizens.
References
Plante, T. G. (2004). Sin against the innocents: Sexual abuse by priests and the role of the Catholic Church. Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group.
Rodriguez, S., " Sider, R. (2013). Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible. Brazos Press.
Testament, N. (1976). Good News Bible.
Weitzer, R., " Tuch, S. A. (2002). Perceptions of racial profiling: Race, class, and personal experience. Criminology, 40(2), 435-456.
